newsletter of the Peoria Public Library Volume 25, No. 7
JULY 2016
Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to be Human Continues Through July 14 The traveling exhibit Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human continues at Peoria Public Library Main Library in the Gallery on Lower Level One this month. The exhibit is free and open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday until Thursday, July 14. Explore the topic through panels, interactive kiosks, hands-on displays and videos, as well as additional displays provided by Dr. Fred Smith of Illinois State University. Audiences are invited to explore milestones in the evolutionary journey of becoming human — from walking upright, creating technology and eating new foods, to brain enlargement and the development of symbolic language and complex societies. In other words, examine the advancements that define the unique position of humans in the history of life. Based on the Smithsonian’s What Does It Mean to Be Human? permanent exhibition hall at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human? seeks to shed light on what we know about human origins and how we know it. The exhibition welcomes different cultural perspectives on evolution and seeks to foster positive dialogue and a respectful exploration of the science. The exhibit has been accompanied by a variety of programs, with two remaining. On Wednesday, July 6 at 6:00 p.m. Dr. Fred H. Smith, University Professor of Anthropology and Biological Sciences Emeritus, Illinois State University will present a program on “Neandertals and the Origins of Modern Humans.” On Tuesday, July 12 at 6:00 p.m. at Main Library, Dr. Michael D. Wiant, Director of Dickson Mounds Museum, Illinois State Museum will talk about “Understanding the Development of Human Culture in Illinois.” Both programs are free and open to the public. Check the newsletter calendar for more events for children. Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human? was organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in collaboration with the American Library Association. This project was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation and support from the Peter Buck Human Origins Fund.
Homo floresiensis 17,000 to 95,000 years ago
Homo neanderthalensis 40,000 to 400,000 years ago
Homo heidelbergensis 200,000 to 700,000 years ago
Paranthropus boisei Homo erectus
143,000 to 1.89 million years ago
1.2 million to 2.3 million years ago
Australopithecus africanus 2.1 million to 2.7 million years ago
Australopithecus afarensis 2.95 million to 3.85 million years ago
Smithsonian Institution
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